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Champions

Every year, 30 teams play toward this end goal, and every year, only one of them actually achieves it. The odds are depressingly low.

And yet, the Giants have now won two championships in the last three years.

There were so many things that could have done the Giants in this year. They were fortunate enough to avoid another barrage of injuries. They faced an uphill battle down the stretch after losing all-star Melky Cabrera (especially in light of the strong additions the Dodgers had made).

The Giants played six potential elimination games in the playoffs, and won every single one of them.

And when they got to the final stage, they wasted no time in winning a championship. Carried by the same dominant pitching that brought them a title two years ago, the Giants played four games against the Detroit Tigers, and they won them all.

The front office did a masterful job building a contending team, acquiring the likes of Angel Pagan, Melky Cabrera, and George Kontos in the offseason, reinforcing the bullpen by bringing back Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt, and adding guys like Marco Scutaro, Hunter Pence, and Jose Mijares along the way. (Not to mention Gregor Blanco and Joaquin Arias, who were both signed to minor-league contracts, and ended up playing important roles with the team.) I wasn’t ecstatic about all of these moves, but most of the front office’s decisions panned out very well, and of course, it’s because of them that the Giants are champions.

The Giants won the World Series. Savor it. Bask in it. Seize the moment. These don’t come too often.

It’s been an amazing, unpredictable, thoroughly enjoyable ride. What a season.